Unlicensed pilots are very common in Alaska. There's an old joke that the FAA hopes to get at least 50% of the pilots in Alaska properly licensed.
It’s one thing to fly unlicensed and another to claim you have a proper license when you actually paid someone to take the test for you because you don’t have the necessary experience and you’re using that license to fly commercial airliners.
Edit: That was a semi-joke, obviously they don't have airbuses. Many are operating in a commercial capacity though, offering rides to customers or hauling freight.
You have to remember that in rural areas "but that's illegal" doesn't really carry much weight. It's more a question of the reality of enforcement and ethics/morals. The reason people in rural areas don't go fishing with explosives, dump their hazmat on the side of the road and do other things they could get away with is because they mostly all agree that these things are wrong and the cost of not doing these things is low enough that most people elect not to do those things.
The mechanic.
Maintaining a commercial license takes money and hoop jumping (not that a private license doesn't but commercial takes more). Small commercial airlines (like what you find in Alaska) are littered with people who let their licenses lapse (or were medically disqualified) or never pursued a commercial rating but are rated to fly that type privately. They're working in roles other than pilots. It's not a stretch to see how someone who usually turns wrenches or haggles on the phone for their paycheck might be willing to be the co-pilot on a flight and cook the books for a buddy.